‘A larger-than-life figure and an icon’ – IPL franchises bid farewell to Shane Warne

Legendary Australian cricketer Shane Warne passed away at the age of 52 on 4th March 2022. The leg spinner was holidaying in Thailand where he suffered a cardiac arrest, and could not be revived.

And, all the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises have offered their tributes to arguably the greatest leg spinner to have graced the sport. The Gujarat Titans tweeted that there will never be another Shane Warne, while the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) tweeted that the leg-spin bowling colossus will forever remain in the hearts of cricket fans.

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) stated that it is a sad day for world cricket, while the Delhi Capitals (DC) stated that Warne had departed too soon.

The man whose action all tried to imitate: MI’s tribute to Shane Warne

The Mumbai Indians (MI) tweeted that Warne’s action was one everyone tried to imitate and was a ‘larger-than-life’ figure. Shane Warne had labelled Ravindra Jadeja as a rockstar, and Jadeja scored a superb ton the day after Warne’s death against the Sri Lankan side. And, the PBKS franchise has tweeted that Warne’s rockstar had scored a century.

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) tweeted that Shane Warne was a master of his craft and an icon of the game of cricket, while the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise stated that Warne is one of the greatest leg-spin bowlers to have played the game of cricket. The Lucknow Super Giants tweeted that Warne’s death is a loss to the cricketing world.

Apart from the IPL franchises, several cricketers took to social media to mourn the death of one of the greatest icons to have played the game. Shane Warne represented the Australian side in 145 Tests and 194 ODI matches. While the leg spinner picked up a whopping 708 wickets in the whites, Warne scalped 293 wickets in the ODI format of the game. He played his last international match against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in 2007.

Here are the reactions from all the IPL franchises

Among 708 Test wickets and 293 ODI wickets, Shane Warne was also the 1st captain to win the IPL.

And who can forget THAT ball of the century?

A massive loss for the world of cricket.

RIP, Spin King.#ShaneWarne #SpinKing pic.twitter.com/bk9M4bRQFe

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) March 4, 2022

One of the greatest leg-spinners to have ever played the game.

Our heartfelt condolences to friends, family and fans around the world.

Rest in peace, Warnie. 💔 pic.twitter.com/kqQuiTZMRT

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) March 4, 2022

A master of his craft, an icon of our sport.

Rest in Peace, Shane Warne. 💔 pic.twitter.com/uszZwLtTTG

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) March 4, 2022

Shane Warne’s Rockstar gets to a well-deserved hundred 🙌#SaddaPunjab #INDvSL @imjadeja pic.twitter.com/ixnO8pW2Gc

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) March 5, 2022

The man whose action we all tried to imitate. The man who epitomised the phrase 'larger than life'. A true cricketing legend.

Rest in peace, Shane Warne. 💔

📸: @ICC pic.twitter.com/HOyzpH7Nss

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 4, 2022

Gone too soon 💔

A legendary spinner and one of the most influential players in the history of the game breathed his last today.

Rest in peace, Shane Warne. pic.twitter.com/q1kI2wkSNh

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) March 4, 2022

Unbelievably sad day for cricket

Can’t believe we are typing this… Rest In Peace, Legend #ShaneWarne 💐 pic.twitter.com/jTIzXiB4Qi

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 4, 2022

In great disbelief…😔💔 pic.twitter.com/2eVzr16GPS

— Chennai Super Kings – Mask P😷du Whistle P🥳du! (@ChennaiIPL) March 4, 2022

Forever in our 💛

📷: 5️⃣3️⃣3️⃣ – Leading the Test bowling charts at Chepauk in 2004! pic.twitter.com/C19Uov3zYA

— Chennai Super Kings – Mask P😷du Whistle P🥳du! (@ChennaiIPL) March 5, 2022

There will never be another Shane Keith Warne!

RIP, Legend 💔 pic.twitter.com/MgT00T5vBq

— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) March 4, 2022